Chapter 23: Baton Purple

In the early morning hours after the broadcast ended, most viewers would typically catch up on sleep at this time. However, those who watched Lee Kyungbok’s stream were different. Among them, the most enthusiastic participants belonged to the Bio Crisis community forums.

[Sandra Fans Unite (999+)] [(Spoilers) Why Sika Squad Went Downhill (999+)] [(Spoilers) Recap of Hints for Sequel (999+)] [(Spoilers) Perfect Summary of Today’s Broadcast (999+)]

Despite the late hour, people flocked to share their excitement and emotions from the broadcast. As a result, the community was more active than ever before.

[WTF happened?]

[It’s due to the shift change, but what chaos is this?

Why did all Begells turn into spoilers?]

Is there a hint of a sequel from Purple Broadcasting?

I checked the community as soon as I woke up—good job, fellow insomniacs!

Never mind the compliments; just tell us what happened!

Sorry, can’t say anything—it’s all spoilers LOL

Oh LOL, but there’s still one plot twist left to be revealed.

OMG, it’ll knock your socks off when you see it!

Plot twist? Is Sandra betraying Kyungbok?

Saaaaaaaaandrraaaaaaahhhhhh!

WTF, dude? Are you trying to get banned?

This member will soon lose their last remaining plot twist…

Some people were waking up and trying to make sense of the situation. They were utterly confused, unaware of any twists within the game. Meanwhile, those who had watched the broadcast couldn’t resist teasing them about their expected reactions.

Developer response translation incoming (self-made)

An insider posted on the developer forum LOL

There’s no three-line summary due to translation fatigue, so read it yourself.

[We have made a significant decision.]

[Our development team has received information from the Korean branch of Cap Company.]

[The Korean streamer ‘Perfect Play’ witnessed the true ending we had prepared.]

[We were truly surprised.]

[This is because until now, not a single person—no one at all—had reached that ending.]

[We are delighted.]

[In fact, we were considering whether we had made the game too difficult and debating if we should make adjustments through updates.]

[And then, we saw…]

[The method demonstrated by the streamer ‘Perfect Play’ was truly astonishing. It would be equally challenging for ordinary gamers to replicate.]

Thanks to you, we realized our mistake. We had made the game too difficult. We must acknowledge this fact.

We sincerely apologize to all gamers who love ‘Bio Crisis’.

In future updates, we will make adjustments so that everyone can enjoy the game more easily and appreciate its story.

[Thank you.]

There might be some awkward parts due to translation issues, but if you notice them, it means your English is good. So please translate it for me [Please!]

At that moment, someone brought up a post that caused a stir within the community.

[-Wow haha, they messed up big time haha]

[This is truly amazing]

[A streamer influencing the development direction?]

[-The developer confirmed it, right?]

[LOL, we told ya so! Finally woke up, huh?]

[Ohhh, Purple is ‘real’.]

[-Once updated, can I also escape with Sandra?]

[To youuuu…it maaay beeee…possibllleee…?]

[ROFL, you’re hilarious.]

[-But isn’t that correct? You need a good evaluation from Sandra and mustn’t use recovery potions, LOL]

[-What do you mean by recovery potions?]

[-Didn’t Sika mention it at some point? She asked if anyone had ever used them before.]

[-Huh? Are they part of the ending conditions too?]

[-It seems like saving Sandra near the end depends on it. If you use recovery potions beforehand, your compatibility factor might deteriorate, making it impossible to save her.]

[Lol… Still salty even after the update.]

[Wow, but doesn’t this mean Ahjin is truly legendary now?]

[Huh? When was he ever fake legend material?]

[No clear records before the update, so Ahjin’s the only one who’s cleared it at its current difficulty level.]

[True dat.]

[LOL LOL LOL Thinking about it, you’re right.]

[Giving me goosebumps LOL LOL]

The hype continued unabated until morning because the acknowledgment had come from the main headquarters rather than the Korean branch responsible for distribution and localization.

[When has there been such intense buzz around anything?]

[I thought the series was on its last legs due to the initial backlash, haha! Turns out, it was just those idiots failing to appreciate the game’s true value, lol]

[I used to get called a pervert for liking Sandra Mila despite all her haters, but it turns out I was truly in love with her. ㅋㅋㅋㅋ As a fanboy, this is my first time experiencing such a dramatic turnaround in public opinion. ㅅㅂㅋㅋㅋ Being a Bark series fan feels great right now. I’ll be a Godly forever! ㅋㅋㅋ]

[-Godly saved us from being stuck with only Dracarys. ㅋㅋㅋ]

[나아아아 me too, I started watching after seeing Purple’s early broadcasts]

[나마마 probably evaporated by now? ㅋㅋㅋ]

[나if not for him, there might not have been any sequel.]

[-shouldn’t we show some respect at this point?]

[나absolutely. Godly would excel anywhere.]

[나seriously ㅋㅋㅋ with those physical abilities, he’d be hailed as godly wherever he went]

[-From now on, let’s refer to GodPlayer as President Purple.]

[President Purple? LMAO]

[-Hey, but isn’t it okay?]

[-It was decided by the trolls’ vote LOL]

[-President Purple! President Purple! President Purple!]

Once someone started calling him President Purple, the nickname quickly spread like wildfire throughout the community.

[All good, but let’s be careful.]

[Lol, remember what happened with Bark beetle fans last time?

We all got blamed for associating with those weirdos.

Now if we call GodPlayer ‘President,’ they might start whining again for no reason.

If you’re a true Bark fan, report them when you see them.]

[-This is hilarious]

[-Those idiots will surely lose their minds later]

[-Need to smash their keyboards]

[-Don’t ask for Bark during his next broadcast]

[Yup. If he becomes a Bark fan, his image will go down the drain.]

[Let President Ba do whatever he wants.]

Thus, public opinion became firmly established. The first loyal viewers of Lee Kyungbok were born this way. Now their interest was focused on one thing:

[What game is next?]

[Honestly, I would appreciate it if he played Bark but don’t think he will. There’s no reason to sell the existing ending now… haha]

[President Ba can excel at any physical games.]

[Won’t he play something more major now?]

[Is Bark considered minor?]

[Let’s give credit where it’s due, Ba-dung…]

[What? It was President Ba who made it popular… haha]

[Ah, haha. I didn’t know that.]

It was about what Lee Kyungbok would play in his next broadcast.

[Since he did a modern setting game, won’t the next one be fantasy?]

[It might be possible.]

[What fantasy games have come out recently?]

[The Watcher maybe?]

[I bet it isn’t The Watcher because he prefers old games ᄏᄏᄏ]

[Does Bark-style ‘recent’ game mean anything?]

[Huh! Even now, The Watcher is still active!]

[Wanna play Gwent?]

‘The Watcher’. It was a game set in a fantasy world with monsters and magic, allowing players to enjoy the adventures of the protagonist, who belonged to the Watcher clan. Uniquely, the card game mini-game called Gwent within the main game became famous. Thanks to its popularity, it was released as a standalone game. Its influence was significant enough that there was even a TV drama adaptation in the United States.

[-If it’s President Bark’s physical ability, it must be low power. Elden Soul would be his first choice.]

[Elden Soul… I couldn’t even complete the tutorial and got a refund right away.]

[Lol, it’s Elden Soul difficulty level!]

[Isn’t there magic in Elden Soul?]

[Yup, but casting takes too long, making mages even harder to play as. Lol]

Elden Soul was the latest installment of the “Elden” series known for its unique somber yet epic atmosphere. Despite being notoriously difficult and often frustrating gamers, the sense of accomplishment upon clearing each stage coupled with the bizarre yet mysterious monster designs captivated players worldwide. In gamer slang, this franchise had serious “cool factor.”

[-President Bato seems like he’d excel at Gunner Ground, right?]

[-But that game doesn’t have much story, does it?]

[-He could probably handle any battle royale genre games, though.]

[-Gunner Ground relies heavily on luck, though.]

[-I got the Golden Shotgun from a random draw!]

[Lol, true!]

[A Battle Royale set in Outlaw Universe would be cool too.]

[Too American for my taste.]

[But President Ba would dominate in PvE mode.]

Gunner Ground and Outlaw Universe were two representative games that dominated the Battle Royale genre. The former boasted realistic combat with modern weaponry, while the latter featured fast-paced futuristic battles set against the backdrop of space.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that these two Tribe games held most of the market share within the genre.

[-You don’t know what you’re talking about. Since I’ve only seen him fight zombies, he’d excel at casual games.]

[-What’s a “casual game”? Animal Crossing?]

[-Falling People is perfect for him! ]

[L-LMAO, what healing? LMAO]

[LIf President Ba participates, it’ll be game over for other contestants LOL]

[LPoly people characters are cute though LMAO]

“Falling People” was marketed as a fun obstacle race game. However, in reality, it resembled hell on earth. Despite its adorable and vibrant background, gameplay was incredibly intense since being late meant elimination compared to other gamers. Some seasoned players even strategically positioned themselves from the start to eliminate others.

[LOL, these comments reflect what they want to see]

[LSo, which game do you recommend?]

[LRecommend me?]

[LFull Metal Crusader is the best]

[LWOW, LOL, you’re the worst…]

[LYeah, LOL, who plays fighting games?]

[LIs that where newbies get slaughtered?]

[Lol, even fighting games would be easy for President Ba.]

Full Metal Crusader (FMC)

It was a new series created by Steel Foot, a popular console-based fighting game, after the introduction of virtual reality. With physical fitness becoming increasingly important due to virtual reality, traditional fighting games declined. As a result, FMC focused on mecha robots as its main theme. By leveraging the concept of robots, it successfully catered to both the console market’s ‘command’ style and the virtual reality market’s emphasis on ‘physicality’.

The gameplay resembled that of Steel Foot, attracting many existing fighting game enthusiasts but also leading to its isolation within a niche audience, similar to the Galápagos effect.

[-I’d love to participate too. Want to ride the bus driven by President Ba ᄏᄏᄏ]

[LOL, viewer participation sounds great]

[This is intriguing.]

[Ha ha ha, playing a game with President Ba?]

[L-looks like poor physical skills…]

[W-what co-op games are there?]

[W-Life 4 Death?]

[W-Lafoheh… recommending zombies again hehe]

[W-Kingchi… but I love zombies!]

Life 4 Death - A cooperative game where four gamers navigate stages teeming with zombies. It features numerous regular zombies mixed with various special types. Due to its cooperative nature, teammates often get overwhelmed, and some areas are impossible to tackle alone, making it quite challenging. As such, playing with friends was considered standard practice.

[-Competitive gameplay is more enjoyable than pure co-op. Hence, Dead by Exorcist.]

[W-Dead by Exorcist here?]

[W-Um… It might be too difficult for newbies.]

[But what if President Ba appears?]

[Ba!]

[Tong!]

[Leader!]

[President of the idiots, haha…]

[I’m actually looking forward to seeing how President Ba will play.]

Dead by Exorcist - It was a cooperative versus game where five Imps faced off against one Exorcist. With rules similar to tag, it was simple and easy to understand, attracting many users. However, as various types of Exorcists were introduced over time, experienced gamers often played ‘evil spirit’ tactics, tormenting the Exorcist instead of fleeing from them.

[Idiots, you should talk about other games haha]

[But it’s because it’s President Ba ^^]

[-Lol, even moderators don’t intervene~]

[-Anything about President Ba is Bark-related^^]

[-(Moderator) Agreed]

[-LMAO, seriously?!]

Strangely enough, discussions about other games became more active within the Bio Crisis community.

Moreover…

[A poll for the next game is up on YouTube!]

[Is Editor-ssi lurking here? LOL They mentioned they’ll take note of the poll results.]

[-OMG… What time is it now?]

[¬Editor-nimmmm]

[¬Victim of BlackPurple…]

[¬Even President Bark can’t shield us from this one, LOL]

[¬Will you hire me if I do?]

[¬I’d be your loyal servant forever ^^7]

[¬Does “take note” mean endure it quietly? LOL]

The editor, Choi Byunghoon, didn’t miss these trends.